Wastepaper recycling plays an important part in the conservation of natural resources and energy. However, a large fraction of newspapers and magazines which could be recycled are instead discarded or incinerated. Newspapers, magazines, and other wastepaper materials account for a substantial part of solid waste materials which are deposited in landfills. Most wastepaper materials could be recycled into other paper products, which would reduce landfill requirements and reduce the number of trees which must be cut to supply pulp to the paper manufacturing industry.
Because of the shortage of landfill space and the expense of wastepaper disposal, and because of the direct savings of natural resources and energy, wastepaper recycling has become mandatory in several jurisdictions. In other areas, voluntary efforts are underway for recycling wastepaper generated in the home and office. For example, the management of some large office towers provides wastepaper collection boxes for tenants, and collect the wastepaper and make it available to recycle agencies for pickup at a central location.
A vast amount of magazines and newspapers are delivered each day to private subscribers. Most newspapers are discarded daily, while most magazines are discarded weekly or monthly. Virtually all of the newspapers and most of the magazines are available for recycling.